2. Tuning The Bass Guitar.
Tuning the 4th string:
We are now going to tune the bass to standard pitch. The 4th string is the thickest string, and sounds the lowest. Try to hear if the 4th string on your bass sounds higher or lower than the note you are hearing below. Then try match your bass to the note you are hearing. As you are listening to the 2 notes, try and hear the "crashing" sound that comes from the notes being out of tune. The closer you are to being in tune, the further away the notes will crash. To raise the pitch of a string, turn the tuning pegs that face up counter clockwise. If the tuning pegs face down then turn clockwise. Reverse the direction to lower the pitch. Never turn the tuning pegs unless the note is ringing. Otherwise, you will have no idea how far to turn the tuning peg.
Here is an example to tell if the 4th string is in tune. 4 string bass standard tuning is GDAE. The G string is the highest and the E string is the Lowest.

G|------|
D|------|
A|---0--|
E|--5---|

If those notes are the same, your in tune with the A and E string. Now do the same to the rest of the strings.

G|---------0--|
D|------0-5---|
A|---0-5------|
E|--5---------|

If the 5 and the 0 sound the same, your in tune.
Drop D makes the 4th string deeper. Here is how to get in to drop D:

G|------|
D|------|
A|---0--|
D|--7---|

If they sound the same, your in drop D variations: Drop D down a 1/2 step: From standard Drop D tuning, tune all of the strings down a 1/2 step (like they were 1 fret lower). Drop D down a whole step: From standard Drop D tuning, tune all of the strings down a whole step (like they were 2 frets lower). This is sometimes called Drop C by mistake. Drop C would mean to drop only the 4th string down to a C.

maciagt,
some people prefer higher or lower notes so they go along with the guitarists. If a guitarist was in drop D, and playing low notes, you want to make your bass sound like the guitar. Otherwise, it woulden't sound right.
Harmonics:
Lightly put your finger over the 5th fret of the E srtring and strike it hard with your thumb of your picking hand. You will hear a higher piched, mellow sound. This is called a harmonic. Then put your finger over the 7th fret, A string. It should sound like the 5th fret E string. Hit both harmonics using your thumb (so you don't kill the note behind it, you could also use a pick) 5th fret E harmonic and 7th Fret A harmonic should sound the same togeather, but if either string is slightly out of tune with eachother, you will hear a "beating" of the sound waves. Can't really explain this too well, but it is a "in and out" kind of sound. You'll know if you hear it. Get both harmonics and relese your fretting finger and let the harmonics ring. Tune your bass so they sound alike. The faster the "beating", the more out of tune you are. When both notes sound exactly the same with no "beating" the strings are in tune with eachother. Do this with all the strings. It works on guitars too, but not with the G and B strings.
There, you have your harmnonics.

kristoff47:
i'm kinda nu to bass, just picked up a 5-string, can anyone tell me what i tune to to keep with the guitar, do i tunr the bottom string to his bottom sytring or what?
it doesnt if its tuned to E just tune them together, have him pick the 6th string (low E) and you have to hit your E on the 12th fretand tune them together.
after you tune them then tune your bottom then you can sepratly tune the rest.

shouldnt it be the 6th fret for tuning the 3rd and 2nd? If the 5th string zero=A then 1=A sharp 2=B 3=B sharp 4=C 5=C sharp and 6=D correct me if im wrong it sounds right using the 5th fret for all the strings but its not adding up in my head

Great lesson, ha ha, I am so out of practice I was having problems remembering exactly what keys to use to tune to what. This put me right back into check. Now I am off to rememorize the ***ing fretboard.

Note a cool thing I have tryed once. Tuning your Bass down in 7ths! Its kinda hard to play, but it really rules! Especially for slower stuff!
The tuning is A# F C G (I think)
Whell, harmonicly you tune it like this:

What blu says earlier about harmonics. How can u not like harmonics? How else r u expected to get better if u don't expose urself to it? Dude....been playing for 14 years and have found harmonics the best, easiest and most reliable tuning method. If u don't know what a standard tuning soundike, u should be taught. Im a guitarist and trying to teach some1 bass. Most of the hints have been useful...then again...some havent...like the harmonics things.

1. Tuning with harmonics is the best way to get the bass/guitar tuned. If your guitar/bass is not intonated properly, harmonics will do the trick better than tuning it to an adjacent string on the 5th fret, because the pitch will be either lower or higher by so little on the 5th fret if it is not intonated properly.
2. If intonated properly, you could use the fretting method of 5=0, but you will have to turn the tuning peg with your right hand right after you pluck the strings. If you use harmonics you could let go of the strings and turn the pegs with the left hand (easier).
3. Finally, I like to tune my guitars/basses to standard pitch by hearing the crashing sound when you play two strings open. It works like this:
E=5th of A. which have a kind of resonance when played together. Even if you're tuned, you will hear a mellow crash, but this one's normal. If you are out of tune, you can hear the notes crash at two places, but when you're tuned properly, you can't hear the worse(badder) crashing sound. You just hear the mellower crash of the notes, which is the resonance. Its common if you don't get what I mean. Some people tell me I'm crazy when they see me tune my guitar/bass to their 5th interval. It ends up helping me tune the bass/guitar better than their own. As with the harmonic tuning, this won't work between the guitar's G and B string, because the B string is tuned a half-step lower from the 5th fret (C). If you understood what I meant I congratulate you.

I forgot:
4. If you want to tune the low E string to D on your guitar/bass, do one of the following:
A. Press the 7th fret on the low E string and tune the E string to match the A string.
B. The harmonic on the 7th fret, E string and the harmonic on the 12th fret, A string sound the same. You can tune to drop D like that too.
C. As I mentioned on the above post, you can also hear the two crashing sounds if you lower the pitch of the E string while the A string is ringing too. This time the resonance will sound better when they are tuned properly because it would be as if you were doing a power chord on the E and A strings. Again, this doesn't work on the guitar's B and G string.

When you say Dropped C# = F# C# G# C#?! With GDAC# it doesn't make sense... Not on guitar.. eBGDAC# ?!
then a power chord would have to look like this:
D--3-----6--|
A--3---or---6--|
C#--4-----7--|
etc... !

Ok I kinda get everything but I have a guitar/bass tuner and it has flats I know that no flats iz regular tuning E,A,D,G drop D iz two flats D,A,D,G and five flats iz B,E,A,D but what are one flat, three flats, and four flats called??? Does any one know???

there is no such note as e sharp or b sharp the interval between e and f is a half step and same with be tween b and c so it would be
Estring 0=E, 1=F, 2=F sharp/Gflat, 3=G, 4=G sharp/A flat, 5=A
Astring 0=A, 1=A sharp/ B flat, 2=B, 3=C, 4=C sharp/D flat
there u go thats what it should be read the bass lessons and read the columns on music theory

DOES ANY ONE KNOW TUNING??? I know that standard on a bass tuner iz no flats (E,A,D,G) and five flats are low B (B,E,A,D) and I know that two flats are (D,-,-, somthin but what are 1,3,and4 flats called PLEEZ SOMEONE TELL ME!!!
If u can THNX!!!

hey am making a website about bass i have only made 1 page but i wanna no what ppl think be4 i make more pages plz leave a message on my message board telling mw what u think
www.freewebs.com/howtoplaybass

1st:everyone new to playing guitar or bass should learn the chromatic scale (a,a#,b,c,c#,d.d#,e,f,f#,g,g#) it is key to many things later on and if you know that you can tune to anything
2nd:you are confusing by saying tuning is GDAE because tabs and everything else is low to high EADG and on a 5 string the 5th string is the high b not the low b
bassballer25:check out your local pawn shops everyone ive ever been to has a music section with tuners chords pedals ect. thats were i got my bass and amp and they are great and you can get good deals

drop c# is C# G# G# F# (low to high), and there is also drop c that is the same just a half step lower.
i think you got it backwards with with the C# standard or low C# whatever you wanna call it. in dropped tuning on a 4 string you always have the 4th string a full step lower in lower than it should be.